Piano Concerto no. 26 in D major K. 537

Although Mozart’s penultimate piano concerto was completed on 24 February 1788, it was not premiered until 1789 in Dresden. A further performance in autumn 1790, as part of the celebrations in honour of Leopold II’s coronation as Emperor, led to the concerto’s now popular nickname. In comparison to the series of large piano concertos from 1784–86, K. 537, with its numerous rapid scale passages and embellishments, looks more conventional at first glance, although it is precisely this more flexible structure that points ahead to forms of the early romantic period. In any case, it today numbers among Mozart’s most frequently played concertos.